Monty Python skit. Conceived and directed by Alex Timbers, with music and lyrics by Kyle Jar- row. (John Houseman, 450 W. 42nd St. 212-239- 6200. Closes Jan. 4.) WICKED A new musical telling the backstory of "The Wizard of Oz" is an èxercise in high camp. "The Wizard of Oz" was dedicated tu hope "Wicked" is dedicated to irony. The Wicked Witch, El- phaba (played by the excellent Idina Menzel), turns out to he good, while Glinda the Good (Kristen Chenoweth) is exposed as a smug, am- bitious, manipulative bitch, with little talent for sorcery. (11/10/03) (Gershwin, 222 W. 51st St. 212-307-4100.) WONDERFUL TOWN The musical from 1953, about two spirited Ohio sisters' adventures in Greenwich Village, is a buoy- ant, beautifully staged revival that gives us back a thrilling glimpse of the gaiety, wit confidence, and craft of the American musical in its populist hey- day. The show hoasts a well-played, fizzy Leonard Bernstein score and a terrific set of Comden and Green lyrics that stop the show several times, with a special huzzah for "One Hundred Easy Ways (to Lose a Man)." The excellent cast is superbly di- rected and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall. As Eileen, Jennifer Westfeldt swings, but Donna Murphy, as her sardonic, droll sister Ruth, owns the stage. This is one of those musicab that made the myth of Manhattan as an isle of joy. And after the sublimely silly seven-minute "Conga!" you al- most believe it. (AI Hirschfeld, 302 W 45th St. 212-239-6200.) LONG R.UNS AIDA Palace, Broadway at 47th St. 212-307-4747. AVENUE Q Golden, 252 W. 45th St. 212-239-6200. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Lunt-Fontanne, 20S W 46th St. 212-307-4747. BECKETT I ALBEE Century Center, 111 E. 15th St. 212-239-6200. BLUE MAN GROUP Astor Place Theatre, 434 Lafayette St. 212-254-4370. CABARET Studio 54, at 254 W. 54th St. 212-239-6200. (Closes Jan. 4.) CARNIVAL KNOWLEDGE SoHo Playhouse, 15 Vandam Sr. 212-239-6200. CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF Music Box, 239 W. 45th St. 212-239-6200. CHICAGO Ambassador, 215 W. 49th St. 212-239-6200. DE LA GUARDA Daryl Roth, 20 Union Sq. E., at 15th St. 212-239-6200. FAME ON 42ND STREET Little Shubert, 422 W. 42nd St. 212-239-6200. FORBIDDEN BROADWAY Douglas Fairbanks, 432 W 42nd St. 212-239-6200. 42ND STREET Ford Center, 213 W. 42nd t. 212-307-4100. GYPSY Shubert, 225 W. 44th St. 212-239-6200. HAIRSPRA Y Neil Simon, 250 W 52nd St. 212-307-4100. I LOVE YOU I YOUIRE PERFECT I NOW CHANGE Westside, 40'""' W 43rd St. 212-239-6200. THE LION KING New Amsterdam, 214 W. 42nd St. 212-307-4100. MAMMA MIA! Winter Garden, Broadway at 50th t. 212-563-5544. MOVIN I OUT Richard Rodgers, 226 W 46th S1. 212-307-4100. NOBODY DON IT LIKE YOGI Lamb's Theatre, 130 W. 44th St. 212-239-6200. THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Majestic, 245 -W: 44th S1. 212-239-6200. PRIVATE JOKES I PUBLIC PLACES Theatre at the Center for Architecture, 536 LaGuardia PI. 212-239-6200. THE PRODUCERS S1. James, 246 W. 44th St. 212-239-6200. RENT Nederlander, 208 W. 41st St. 212-921-8000. THE RETREAT FROM MOSCOW Booth, 222 W 4Sth St. 212-239-6200. THE RIVALS Pearl, 80 St. Marks PI. 212-598-9802. STOM P Orpheum, 126 Second Ave., at 8th St. 212-477-2477. TAKE ME OUT Walter Kerr, 219 W 48th St. 212-239-6200. (Closes Jan. 4.) THE THING ABOUT MEN Promenade, Broadway at 76th St. 212-239-6200. THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE Marquis, Broadway at 45th St. 212-307-4100. TRUMBO Westside, 407 W 43rd St. 212-239-6200. URINETOWN Henry Miller, 124 W. 43rd St. 212-239-6200. (Closes Jan. 18.) DANCE NEW YORK CITY BALLET In Balanchine's "Nutcracker," the Christmas party is gemütlich, the nightmare scary, the tree tall, and Candyland exactly what it should be: a child's dream of heaven. After the holiday ballet's final three performances this week, City Ballet kicks off its winter repertory season and yearlong cele- bration of Balanchine's centennial with "A Mid- summer Night's Dream." (New York State The- atre, Lincoln Center. 212-870-5570. "The Nut- cracker": Dec. 31 at 7, Jan. 3 at 2 and 8, and Jan. 4 at 3. + "A Midsummer Night's Dream": Jan. 6 at 7:30. Through Feb. 29.) SA VI ON GLOVER The last time Glover performed at the Joyce, in 1991, he was a seventeen-year-old wunderkind who stole the show as d guest star. This time, he's had the stage to himself for three weeks straight, the longest run ever granted a tap dancer. The format is informal, but expect extraordinary, ex- ploratory Improvisations by Glover (he's been deep into Coltrane lately), as welJ as precise group numbers he choreographed for his latest company, Tii Dii. With its equal-gender ratio, the group is a testament to a seldom noticed as- pect of Glover's influence: the rise of hard-hitting women. (175 Eighth Ave., at 19th St. 212-242- 0800. Dec. 31 at 5, Jan. 2 and Jan. 4 at 2 and Jan. 3 at 2 and 8.) ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATRE Now in its forry-fifth year, the company faces a fa- miliar problem: finding a repertory worthy of its su- perlative dancers. The answers this season include new productions of old hits-Judith Jamison's "Hymn" (1993) and Donald McKayle's "Rain- bow 'Round My Shoulder" (1959)-and four pre- mières. In Robert Battle's underwhelming new "Juba," a quartet performs an agonized cakewalk, arms extended as if awaiting shackles. Alonzo King's "Heart Song" is mure ambitious. Structured episodically around Arabic spiritual songs it's a kind of Islamist retelling of Ailey's "Revelations," in praise of Allah instead of Jesus. The work doesn't approach the brilliance of Ailey's master- piece-nothing in the repertory does-but it show- cases strong dancing and enough costume changes for a fashion show. All four new offerings-in- cluding Dwight Rhoden's "Bounty Verses," for thirteen dancers, and Jennifer Muller's "Foot- prints," a meditation on the irretractability of snap decisions-are performed in the season's final week. + Dec. 31 at 8: "Following the Subtle Current Upstream," "Hymn," and "Revelations." + Jan. 1 - , $B\ 1,.. . \. ,, - 'íìf ) , J) A J T O\ TJARGO\. YAHOO! personals '-! yahoo..com. click personals '\DVERfISEMI'NT MAKE A DATE WITH YOUR 2004 NEW YORKER DESK DIARY TODAY " nit.. ' \\ \'4t . . çØø' Plus, receive FREE personalization when you order your 2004 Desk Diary online at: WWW.CARTOONßANK.COM To order over the phone please call 1-866-494-6153. (\ é - : - ., .. '"" .J CARTOONßANK COM .............. A New Yorker Magazine Company 145 PAU5ADE STREET, SUITE 373, Doßßs FERI\Y, NY 10522 '1!,.)200" Bì' 1'1 II: C00:iJl JS \ I PlHH It\1/u\,S li'.t... \t I. R!UI n s RF R\o FD. CROW YOUR BUSINESS BY LJIAP'S t 80\U Nllfl S1. . .)1... YAHüor Small Business ya oo.com. click Small Business THE NEW YORKER, JANUARY 5, 2004 13